Interview Experiences

Real candidates, real loops: every round, what was asked, and how it ended.

Share yours, earn XP

51 stories

Likes earn the author +10 XP for the first 3 likes each day

MicrosoftSoftware EngineerSenior+
Aug 2026

25 Minutes to Hand-Code a Concurrent Task Executor

I applied pretty randomly online, and HR reached out to schedule an interview for yesterday afternoon. I went in with a "just watching the show" mindset, and honestly the whole experience was terrible — basically a setup for failure. If I'd actually been seriously job hunting, this would have driven me insane. First, it was a one-hour technical phone screen, and half an hour of that went into goi…

Technical Screen0
MicrosoftSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

Microsoft Software Engineer long interview timeline experience

The most surprising part of my Microsoft process was its length. It took at least two months from beginning to end: about one month of interviews, then another month waiting for the decision. There were multiple rounds assessing different skills. Interviewers gave hints, and I had to keep track of them and adjust my approach while time was running. I did not receive an offer. The month of uncerta…

0
MicrosoftSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

Software Engineer interview at Microsoft: respectful recruiter screen

The recruiter screen was prompt and professional. The recruiter explained the role, asked about my background, and clarified expectations, so the conversation did what an early fit check should do. I did not advance or receive an offer. The process felt clear and respectful, but the experience reminded me that an early screen can still be decisive even when the conversation goes well. Location: U…

0
MicrosoftData Scientist
Reported Jul 2026

Microsoft Data Scientist interview: timed HackerRank assessment

Most of my process was a timed online technical assessment. It had several HackerRank-style questions and a predefined window of around an hour to finish everything. There was little conversational interviewing beyond that. It felt like a fast evaluation of technical problem solving, with very little room to recover from a missed question. I did not receive an offer. The straightforward but tough…

Online Assessment0
MicrosoftSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

Microsoft Software Engineer interview: three 90-minute loop interviews

An HR call set up a packed loop day with three interviews, each 90 minutes long. The first two were live coding rounds with LeetCode-medium problems and a strong emphasis on clean code. The third was a behavioral interview with the department manager. The 90-minute blocks made the day longer than a typical loop and required sustained focus across coding clarity and later communication. I did not…

HR Screen0
MicrosoftSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

Microsoft Software Engineer interview: story-based medium-hard rounds

After clearing the OA, I had three technical rounds. The questions were story-based and ranged from medium to hard. Not every interviewer required me to fully execute code; some were more interested in whether I could explain an approach clearly. The interviews were demanding because I had to stay precise about both the algorithm and my reasoning while the conversation moved quickly. I was trying…

Online Assessment0
MicrosoftSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

Software Engineer interview at Microsoft

The technical screen was tightly focused on algorithms. I had two coding questions: one involved traversing an array to count ball collisions based on speed, and the other asked how to maximize a weighted sum by sorting an array strategically. They tested greedy thinking and careful logic. The problems were described as easy to medium, and I could follow how the scoring and sorting decisions conn…

0
MicrosoftSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

Microsoft Software Engineer interview: dynamic programming and scheduling algorithms

This was an on-campus process with two rounds on the same schedule. First I got a simple dynamic-programming question about counting ways to reach a target count. The second round shifted to scheduling algorithms: FCFS, SJF, and round-robin. They were not presented as trick questions. I felt reasonably comfortable with both the DP logic and the scheduler implementations. I did not get an offer. M…

Technical Screen0
MicrosoftData Scientist
Reported Jul 2026

Microsoft Data Scientist interview: modeling and experiment design

The loop was intense and technically demanding, with work that felt closer to real modeling than trivia. After a recruiter-style step, I discussed an ML project and the trade-offs in evaluating it. We focused on classification with asymmetric costs, and I explained SHAP in the context of what I'd built. I was surprised to get a precision-and-recall question very close to one I'd practiced. Later…

OfferTechnical Screen0
MicrosoftSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

Microsoft Software Engineer interview: quick take-home follow-up and manager interviews

I heard back quickly after applying and again after the take-home step. Then I went straight into three interviews, all with managers. The overall vibe was professional and easy to talk to. The conversations felt thoughtful instead of stressful. It seemed they wanted to understand my work and how I communicated, and I left each session feeling that I had covered the points they were listening for…

0
MicrosoftSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

Microsoft Software Engineer interview: HackerRank queue with two stacks

My Microsoft process began with a HackerRank online assessment. After that came three live coding rounds on HackerRank, each with some behavioral questions mixed in. The behavioral questions were direct: why Microsoft, a time I failed, and how I learn a new skill. For coding, I had problems such as building a queue with two stacks and filtering an array efficiently. They also asked about data str…

Online Assessment0
MicrosoftSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

Microsoft Software Engineer interview: respectful manager and technical rounds

I had two Microsoft interviews: one with the hiring manager and one technical interview. Both were respectful and kind, which made the process less stressful than the usual hiring loop. The recruiter was responsive, so the wait did not drag on. The manager conversation was professional and supportive, and the technical interview had the same tone. It felt like a discussion rather than a harsh cro…

Technical Screen0
MicrosoftSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

Microsoft Software Engineer interview: nerves on an easy opening question

My experience began with an initial screening round that felt generally easy. I got nervous early and bottled up on the first easy question, which caught me off guard because the overall vibe did not match how tense I felt inside. The process stayed consistent with that: the first stage was meant to be approachable and did not seem designed to trick me. Still, I learned that an easy question can…

Technical Screen0
MicrosoftSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

Microsoft Software Engineer interview: correct solutions that still timed out

My technical rounds were mostly classic DSA questions, but efficiency mattered most. I could tell they were judging more than whether my logic worked. My approach also had to be optimized enough to pass the last few tests. Time limits were part of the challenge, and if I wrote something too slow, the end of the test suite failed. The process stayed focused on performance. The stressful part was n…

Technical Screen0
MicrosoftSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

Microsoft Software Engineer Interview Experience: Binary search first, then graph problems

I had an online assessment first, followed by two live coding interviews. The experience was pretty middle-of-the-road for me: not relaxed, but not chaotic either. The first coding interview had a medium LeetCode-style binary-search problem, while the second shifted to graphs. I also discussed general software-development principles and problem-solving. The interviewers were professional and easy…

Online Assessment0
MicrosoftApplied Scientist
Reported Jul 2026

Microsoft Applied Scientist interview with a last-minute virtual cancellation and long HR wait

The interview itself seemed technically normal at first, but the communication around it became the hardest part. I was called for a virtual interview, then received an email minutes before it was due to start saying it was canceled. They said they would reschedule, but I never received a new time. Later, I did manage to complete an interview, but it still did not feel like there was closure. HR…

0
MicrosoftData ScientistSenior+
Jun 2026

AI-Assisted ML Round, Rejected on Level Calibration

Background: about 4 years of YOE, full-stack DS at a startup. Timeline: Cold apply → recruiter reach out: 9 weeks Reach out → phone screen: 3 weeks Phone screen → onsite: 4 weeks (got the notice in the third week) Onsite → result: 5 weeks (I heard some people waited even longer) I'd long heard that Microsoft interviews move slowly, and now I've experienced it myself. Phone screen: resume walkthro…

RejectedOnsite0
MicrosoftMachine Learning Engineer
Jun 2026

LeetCode Rounds Then a RAG System Design

Round 1 The first round was a classic array-processing problem: LeetCode 56 (Merge Intervals). Overall it wasn't too hard — mostly testing fundamentals. The core idea is to sort by interval start, then walk through and merge the overlapping ranges. What actually separates candidates is how "Pythonic" the code is and how you handle edge cases — things like sorting elegantly with a lambda, or handl…

Onsite0
MicrosoftSoftware EngineerSenior+
Jun 2026

A Two-Day Virtual Onsite with a Strange AI Fluency Round

A premium story — unlock it to read the full loop.

RejectedOnsitePremium0
MicrosoftSoftware Engineer
Reported Jun 2026

Microsoft Software Engineer Interview Experience: A demanding opening test

Before I could speak with a recruiter, I had to clear a technical test. It was challenging enough to feel like a real filter and about what I expected from Microsoft. Once I passed that hurdle, the rest of the process moved forward, but I did not receive an offer. The test set the tone immediately, and the bar felt consistent with Microsoft's reputation. My main takeaway was that proving I could…

Technical Screen0

What are interview experiences?

An interview experience is a candidate's own account of a hiring loop — not a question bank entry. It tells you the shape of the process: how many rounds there were, what each round actually tested, how long the gaps between them ran, and what the recruiter said at the end. That context is the part a question list cannot give you.

How to read them

Weight recent write-ups more heavily — interview loops change, often within a year. Read several for the same company and role rather than one: a single account tells you what one interviewer asked, while five tell you what the bar is. Note the outcome badge too, since a rejection write-up usually explains the gap far more precisely than an offer one.

Share your own

Every published experience earns 50 XP, and each of the first 3 likes it receives in a day earns you 10 XP more. Likes must come from established accounts; like-for-like swaps and likes from your own second account are not paid. Write it while the details are fresh — the round order, the exact prompts, and how much time you were given are what the next reader needs.

Share your experience to earn XP